Poetry has a way of bringing out one’s best and worst feelings. When spoken word poets Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye performed early this week for the first time in Manila, their pieces resonated with memorable hugot lines.

“When Love Arrives” by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye

Love arrives exactly when love is supposed to
And love leaves exactly when love must
When love arrives, say,
“Welcome, make yourself comfortable”
If love leaves, ask her to leave the door open behind her
Turn off the music, listen to the quiet
Whisper, “Thank you for stopping by”

“B” by Sarah Kay

Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.

“Repetition” by Phil Kaye

My mother taught me this trick: if you repeat something over and over again, it loses its meaning.

For example: “Homework, homework, homework, homework, homework…,” See? Nothing. Our lives, she said, are the same way. You watch the sunset too often and it just becomes 6 p.m. You make the same mistake over and over and you’ll stop calling it a mistake. If you just “wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up,” one day you’ll forget why. I should’ve known: Nothing is forever.
When I was young, I was taught that the trick to dominating language was breaking it down, convincing it was worthless. “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…,” See? Nothing!

“No Matter The Wreckage” by Sarah Kay

No matter the wreckage, there will be someone to find you beautiful, despite the cruddy metal. Your ruin is not to be hidden behind paint and canvas. Let them see the cracks. Someone will come to sing into these empty spaces.

“An Origin Story” by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye

And they could tell you what a miracle this (friendship) is.
They could tell you how rare this is.
But they could tell you how rare friendship always is.
The chances are slim.
The cards are always stacked against you, the odds are always low.
But I have seen the best of you, and the worst of you, and I choose both.
I want to share every single one of your sunshines and save some for later.
I will tuck them into my pockets so I can give them back to you when the rains fall hard.
Friend, I want to be the mirror that reminds you to love yourself.
I want to be air in your lungs that reminds you to breathe easy.
When the walls come down, when the thunder rumbles, when nobody else is home,
Hold my hand and I promise: I won’t let go.